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04.09.2013 | AMHERST -- Karl Rove pauses for protesters reading from cards while attempting to deliver a speech at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Student Union Ballroom on Tuesday night.
(Photo by Michael Beswick / The Republican)

Although he took the stage to solid applause from the hundreds of students in attendance, it was seconds later he was interrupted by the first of dozens of protesters who stood up and yelled various insults and made various charges against him.

A few college students who were likely not even teenagers when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, called him a "terrorist" and said he was "responsible for the death of millions of people."

Rove served as President George W. Bush's chief of staff in Bush's second term, following the defeat of Bay State Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 election. He is also widely credited with helping Bush win two presidential elections and, for better or worse, considered the mastermind of his presidency.

The criticism Rove faced Tuesday evening, including an appearance by the CODEPINK group, mirrored the outbursts faced by other Bush-era officials, including Condoleezza Rice, who was interrupted during a speech on foreign aid this past summer during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Protesters contend that the Bush Administration, of which Rove was an integral part, fabricated intelligence to support invading Iraq while riding the wave of patriotism that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Rove and other Bush-era associates still maintain that despite the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were ever found, the intelligence indicated then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had them.

One young woman was escorted out by campus police after relentlessly screaming "murderer," which seemed to have a chilling effect on protests, although that peace didn't last through the end of his remarks.

But despite the random outbursts and anger, Rove was able to touch on a couple of today's hot topics, including President Barack Obama's health care reforms.

"He sold this on a set of promises and those promises turned out not to be true," he said. "The president said we're going to pay for this by shifting around money we're already spending. No. We're covering it by increasing the national debt. The next president, whoever he or she is, is going to have big problems with the national deficit because of the Affordable Care Act."

Rove pushed through several more interruptions and maintained his stern tenor throughout the speech.

In reaction to another outburst based on Rove's place in the run-up to the Iraq war, the strategist lost it.

"If you object to that, I want you to show up the next time Hillary Clinton comes here and tell her you disagree with her vote," Rove yelled back as he completely lost his temper on stage. "It's either that or you're saying those people were hoodwinked and that's an insult to those people including Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, and others."

Rove's speech wrapped up after about 30 minutes, and a question-and-answer session followed.

One student apologized for the outbursts of others, and asked how Rove would address the skyrocketing cost of education.

"I don't have the answer," Rove said. "We've increased federal aid and the cost of education just keeps creeping up higher."

Another student asked Rove about his position in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, the wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a Bush Administration critic.

Rove maintained that he didn't out her, and even went on to deny that her identity was leaked at all.

"She could have stayed in the CIA for as long as she wanted to," Rove said. "She was not outed. She gave up her career for a very lucrative book and movie deal."

Rove circled back to a calm demeanor and ended up directly addressing the Iraq question before closing.

"Mr. Rove, knowing what we know now, would you have advised the president to invade Iraq?" one young man asked.

Rove, after pausing for a moment, said "yes."

"The world is a safer place having Saddam Husein gone. He was a threat to the United States. He was a tyrant and a blood-thirsty dictator," Rove said. "You're right. In hindsight, everything is easier to see. This is a view shared by then-Senator John Kerry in 2004 when he said that he still would have supported invading Iraq. I don't know if he's changed his opinion, but that's what it was."

He was brought to UMass Amherst courtesy of the Young Republicans Club from the university and Smith College. David Kaufman, president of the UMass GOP group, said that Rove dropped his typical $25,000 speaking fee to $15,000 so the students could afford to book him.

In his introduction of Rove, Kaufman asked the crowd to respect Rove's freedom of speech the same way their right to protest was respected. And although there were loud outbursts, a majority of the students were respectful and attentive during the event.